Less Cookin’ & More Shoppin’

Hiya peeps, how are you today? I’m doing peachy and gettin’ ready to go bust out 5 miles and a little yoga afterwards. A morning sweatfest really helps center me for the rest of the day. I love it!

Well after a veritable cooking bonanza over the weekend, remember the double chocolate cookies, and the maple nut chocolateoaties, and the apple-carrot (pan)cakes from yesterday, which by the way I am so jazzed that everyone thought the food looked really yummy. I am humbled by how you all keep commenting that my food and recipes are so inspiring and creative. I try, and glad I’m succeeding! Anyway, things were a smidge more mellow in the kitch the past day. So here’s what we’ve been munching.

Popped it out the next morning and loaded up the little cookie with fresh fruit. I used peach chunks, mango, and red & green grapes. And cuz I like my fruit almost frozen, I popped it into the freezah for awhile.

For dinner, I made a Cauliflower & Asparagus on top of spiralized zuke noods and greens, and added red & yellow pepps, carrots, and dressed it up with juice of 1/2 orange, dash of agave, and cracky blacky. If you missed my last cauli themed dinner, it was nummy, or go check this other white flower din-din.

Also finished up the last of the Raw Cuke Wraps that I had made a boat-load of. Enough to have that Raw Dinner Party in my casa. Who’s coming?

And I dressed everything with the homemade Thai Peanut sauce I created that I’ve been in lust with. This dip is To Die For. Of all my dressings, sauces, dips this is my current fave. It’s all that and a bag of vegan chips. See it kinda pooled up on the zuke? Lickable.

…But I made little Cool Whip Sandwiches out of ’em for Scott. He was in dairy addiction heaven.

Also noshed on some oaties

And Skylar and I have been hamming it up. I asked her to Say Cheese. She thought that was really funny. When you’re 2, the simple things are funny. Like saying cheese and farting. She thinks that’s really funny, too.

On other matters, here were a couple TJ’s finds that I thought were nifty. Frozen mangos just becuz they looked tasty, and they are, and then some ginger chews with the only ingredients being ginger, sugar, and potato starch.So they are gluten, dairy, and soy free and for 1.69 it was an impulse buy, butafter getting these home and trying them though…ummm, no. Hot and bitter. I like my friends and my candies hot-n-sassy, not hot-n-bitter, so these are going to get returned.

Some of you may remember my shopping post to the Vegan Store in San Diego (and it was a creative post that taxed my mommybrain so you should read it if you haven’t already).

Although the products there are lovely, eco-friendly, conscious, and all-a that jazz, $50 buckeroo’s for a jar of face cleanser is hardly in most of our budgets, nor does it seem right to me in this economy to even consider that a reasonable use of funds. So, the $5.69 Vegan cleanser action from TJ’s was more my speed…til I got it home and it is just too natural smelling for me. I think it’s the combo of the castille soap and the tea tree oil, which I don’t mind usually. But this stuff smells blech. So it’s getting returned.

What’s everyone’s go-to facial cleanser?? I have been trying to find something I like for under $20 bucks a jar for a couple years now. Bonus points if it’s more natural and holistic, but not necessary. I keep going back to my expensive and not natural Lancome, but the shizzle works. Any recommendations?

I also just found the highly anticipated So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer for coffee at WF! A vegan, non-soy based creamer, that’s vanilla flavored? I think I died and went to Coffee Addicts Heaven! The singular downside to this stuff is the price. Nearly 3 bucks for a half pint. If you’re like me, you like a little coffee with your cup of almond milk or half and half. Or in this case, a little coffee with your vegan creamer. So, I kinda go a little overboard on creamers so this lil bottle won’t last too long, but that’s ok, I know what to put on my Christmas list.

Yoga today is Marichyasana D. Twists are great for keeping all your internal organs toned and they help facilitate digestion and toxin removal. So go twist away. Preferably on an emptier stomach, but whatever works for ya.

And since I just realized that yesterday I somehow forgot the beloved yoga shot du jour, here’s a bonus for ya today.Prasarita Padottasana C. If your arms don’t touch the floor, don’t force ’em, you need to open up your shoulders, first. This may take you 5 minutes or 5 years, everyone’s diff. Go at your own pace and don’t be Type A in your Prasarita Padott C, ok?

Tip of the Day: I mentioned above that I like tea tree oil, in small doses. Well, the stuff is great for making your own all-natural and very cheap wipes or cleaning solution. Just take some paper towels, throw em in a ziplock baggie, add a little water, a few drops of tea tree oil, and you’ve got wipes. Or take a spritzer bottle, add water and tea tree oil drops, and you’ve got an antibacterial/antifungal all-natural cleaner. Spruce it up with other essential oils like orange, lemon, or lavender, or go more exotic with jasmine or whatever floats your boat. I hope that wasn’t too crunchy of a tip. I like to take the best of the crunchy world and blend it with the best of the couture world and that’s how I roll.

What do you do to save moola? Times are tough and I’d love to hear how you cut corners.

26 Responses to “Less Cookin’ & More Shoppin’”

This is so great Averie, I can't wait to get back into doing yoga regularly now and cut back on the long distance runs with the cooler weather. I consider myself an advanced beginner, I do love it and am glad to have a pro to come to for tips and advice! Awesome guest post my friend, good job mama!

I'm also not a fan of Bikram though I have a former classmate who does it 5X/week and adores it. I would rather poke my eyes out with sharp instruments than do the same 26 poses 5X/week, but that's just me- I get bored easily! :-D

I think my yoga teacher last week slipped in a suggestion for me to be vegetarian as it would somehow help me with something in yoga…and I was honestly a bit shocked at what I perceived to be judgment from her. I cannot be certain, but I *think* she was recommending it to me as a way to be more present and peaceful in class. It bugged me, mainly because I only eat fish and I do that mostly for health reasons. Perhaps I heard her wrong. I hope I did.